Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Cardin is one of the most reliable Democratic votes, meaning she can be considered a safe vote for the Democratic Party in Congress.

Biography

Cardin was born in 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland, where he also attended high school. After graduating from Baltimore City College in 1961, he went on to earn his B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh in 1964 and his J.D. at the University of Maryland in 1967. Cardin has also worked as a lawyer.[1]

2011-2012

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[7] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Cardin's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[8]

National security

American response in Syria

Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told John Kerry and Gen. Martin Dempsey that he supports the president’s objectives in Syria, but believes the military response should be limited.[9] Cardin also asked Kerry about other countries that would join the United States in this military action.

"We understand that America would be in the lead, but it does not seem like we have a growing list of countries that are joining us in the military operation," Cardin said during a hearing on September 3, 2013.[9]

Russian proposal

Cardin said September 9, 2013, that the Russian proposal to put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control would be the “best possible outcome” of the debate over the use of the weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad.[14]

When asked by MSNBC host Ed Schultz if he was skeptical of the Russian offer Cardin answered, “Absolutely, but I would like to pursue it because I think if we can achieve international control of the chemical weapons, that’s the best possible outcome right now of the weapons that are in, the chemical weapons that are in Syria.”[14]

“I think we should always be prepared and understand the vulnerability of an open society and we always have to be on our toes,” Cardin said. “But I think President Assad has lost his legitimacy in the way he has governed in Syria. And that’s not just a United States senator saying that. The international community is saying it, the leaders in that region are saying it. So it’s time for change in Syria. Right now, our objective is to deal with the use of chemical weapons.”[14]

John Brennan CIA nomination

Cardin voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[15]

Economy

Minimum wage

In February 2014, Cardin led a roundtable discussion on minimum wage that included two dozen public officials, local business owners and community leaders at the Charles County Board of Education.[16]

Cardin partly blamed the shrinking middle class and the growing wealth disparity between rich and poor Americans on a stagnant minimum wage that has been outpaced by inflation.[16]

“You can’t have a healthy economy without a growing middle class...If you make the minimum wage and you work 40 hours a week, there’s not a state in this country where you can afford quality housing. If you believe in a minimum wage, then it needs to be adjusted to be real, and this is not an adequate minimum wage,” Cardin said.[16]

Government shutdown

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[17] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Cardin voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[18]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Cardin voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[15]

2013 Senate Budget Proposal

Cardin voted for the 2013 Senate Budget Proposal.[15] On March 23, after an all-night debate that ended just before 5 a.m., by a 50 to 49 vote the Democratically controlled Senate approved its first budget in four years. No Republicans voted for the Senate plan, and four Democrats opposed it. All four are from red states and are up for re-election in 2014. Cardin was one of the four Democrats who voted against the budget proposal.[15]

The approved plan is a $3.7 trillion budget for 2014 and would provide a fast track for passage of tax increases, trim spending modestly and leave the government still deeply in the red for the next decade.

The approval of a budget in the Senate began the process of setting up contentious, and potentially fruitless, negotiations with the Republican-controlled House starting in April to reconcile two vastly different plans for dealing with the nation’s economic and budgetary problems.

The House plan would have brought the government’s taxes and spending into balance by 2023 with cuts to domestic spending even below the levels of automatic across-the-board cuts for federal programs now, and it orders up dramatic and controversial changes to Medicare and the tax code.

The Senate plan differed greatly, and included $100 billion in upfront infrastructure spending to bolster the economy and calls for special fast-track rules to overhaul the tax code and raise $975 billion over 10 years in legislation that could not be filibustered. Even with that tax increase and prescribed spending cuts, the plan approved by the Senate would leave the government with a $566 billion annual deficit in 10 years, and $5.2 trillion in additional debt over that window.

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Cardin voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[15]

Social Issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

Cardin voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[15]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Cardin voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[19]

Senate Judiciary Committee

Cardin is a former member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after he was first sworn into the Senate in 2007.[20] When Cardin was in the US House, he served in the House Judiciary Committee. While on the committee, Cardin served as one of the managers for the impeachment proceedings of former federal judge Walter Nixon in 1989.[21]

Ricci v. DeStefano witness panel

Cardin presided in the witness panel during Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009 over the Ricci v. DeStefano case. New Haven, Connecticut, firefighters Frank Ricci and Lieutenant Ben Vargas who were a couple of the plaintiffs in the case were invited to testify as witnesses for the Republicans on the committee.[22]

When the case was discussed during the discussion panel, both Vargas and Ricci testified with Wade Henderson from The Leadership Council on Civil Rights and Arkansas Attorney GeneralDustin McDaniel who were witnesses for the Democratic members on the committee.[22]

During the witness panel, Attorney General McDaniel defended the ruling the Second Circuit issued in Ricci v. DeStefano. Judge Sotomayor was one of three judges who heard oral arguments in the case. McDaniel defended the three sentence summary order the Second Circuit issued claiming that the appeals court was consistent in its ruling citing 28 years of previous rulings in similar cases involving discrimination on civil service examinations. Also, McDaniel said that the ruling was in line with the doctrine of stare decisis.[23] McDaniel was one of five state Attorneys general to file an Amicus brief in support of the Second Circuit ruling when the U.S. Supreme Court granted certorati.[23]

However, both Lt. Vargas and Ricci countered with McDaniel's testimony and said that the case took a personal and emotional toll on themselves and their families. Ricci who suffers from dyslexia gave up a second job to study thirteen hours a day on a promotion test in the New Haven Fire Department. Ricci said to the committee that he was an "absentee father" sacrificing time from his kids and wife to secure the promotion.[24]

Lt. Vargas is Puerto Rican and said that the case focused too much on race and too little on who was qualified to be promoted to the New Haven Fire Department. Vargas said to Senator Cardin after the Second Circuit issued its ruling "that I was penalized for my hard work" as his reaction to the ruling.[24]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Ben Cardin, click [show] to expand the section.

2006

On November 7, 2006, Benjamin Cardin won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Michael S. Steele (R), Kevin Zeese (Green) and Lih Young (Write-in, D) in the general election.[26]

U.S. Senate, Maryland General Election, 2006

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Benjamin Cardin

54.2%

965,477

Republican

Michael S. Steele

44.2%

787,182

Green

Kevin Zeese

1.5%

27,564

Write-in Democratic

Lih Young

0%

120

N/A

Write-in

0%

796

Total Votes

1,781,139

2006

On November 7, 2006, Cardin won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Michael S. Steele (R), Kevin Zeese (G) and Lih Young (D, Write-In) in the general election.[27]

U.S. Senate General Election, Maryland, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Ben Cardin

54.2%

965,477

Republican

Michael S. Steele

44.2%

787,182

Green

Kevin Zeese

1.5%

27,564

Democratic, Write-In

Lih Young

0%

120

Independent

Write-In

0%

796

Total Votes

1,781,139

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Ben Cardin is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Ben Cardin raised a total of $18,157,133 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 24, 2013.[28]

Ben Cardin's Campaign Contribution History

Year

Office

Result

Contributions

2012

U.S. Senate (Maryland)

$6,908,143

2006

U.S. Senate (Maryland)

$8,739,737

2004

U.S. House of Representatives (Maryland District 3)

$941,126

2002

U.S. House of Representatives (Maryland District 3)

$827,419

2000

U.S. House of Representatives (Maryland District 3)

$740,708

Grand Total Raised

$18,157,133

2012

Breakdown of the source of Cardin's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Cardin won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Cardin's campaign committee raised a total of $6,908,143 and spent $6,281,916.[29]

Cost per vote

Cardin spent $4.27 per vote received in 2012.

U.S. Senate - Maryland, 2012 - Ben Cardin Campaign Contributions

Total Raised

$6,908,143

Total Spent

$6,281,916

Total Raised by Election Runner-up

$8,091,266

Total Spent by Election Runner-up

$8,073,058

Top contributors to Ben Cardin's campaign committee

Exelon Corp

$39,250

News Corp

$35,375

Johns Hopkins University

$33,450

Rosen Partners

$30,000

Ernst & Young

$28,500

Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee

Lawyers/Law Firms

$532,126

Real Estate

$429,620

Health Professionals

$403,009

Securities & Investment

$374,161

Retired

$267,060

2006

Breakdown of the source of Cardin's campaign funds before the 2006 election.

Cardin won election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. During that election cycle, Cardin's campaign committee raised a total of $8,739,737 and spent $8,799,604.[30]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Cardin missed 6 of 1,935 roll call votes from January 2007 to April 2013, which is 0.3% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving.[34]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[35]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Cardin paid his congressional staff a total of $2,838,620 in 2011. He ranked 15th on the list of the highest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 19th overall of the highest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Maryland ranked 33rd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[36]

Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Cardin's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $3,164,075 and $7,388,000. That averages to $5,276,037.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333. Cardin ranked as the 28th most wealthy senator in 2012.[37]

Ben Cardin Yearly Net Worth

Year

Avg. Net Worth

% Difference from previous year

2012

$5,276,037.50

94.9%

2011

$2,707,037

-22.16%

2010

$3,477,540

N/A

National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.